Display and storage rack



March 20, 1934. L E, zlEBARTH 1,951,894

DISPLAY AND STORAGE RACK Filed June 5, 1933 if 32 y' 4 :11193. w W ,j(9.

22 y -f-/Z V? 4 3 INVENTOR 29 2?" 1 d .Z/ebar/z 2 An BY l .r 7 um?ATTRNEY Patented Mar. 20, 1934 JED STATES PATENqv @FCE DISPLAY ANDSTORAGE RACK Claims.

My invention relates to display and storage racks and more particularlyto a rack for displaying and storing a croquet set, and has for itsprincipal object to provide a device of this i character wherein theelements of the croquet.

set are readily inserted and locked in position incidental to theirassembly arrangement within the rack.

In accomplishing this and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which isillustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rack constructed in accordance with myinvention and showing the croquet elements in position therein.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View through the rack illustrating thearrangement, whereby the mallets are locked in position by the stakesand the balls by the handles of the mallets.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational View of the rack, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section through the rack.

Referring more in detail to the drawing:

l designates the base portion of the rack which includes a channelshaped trough having a bottom 2 and upwardly extending side iianges 3and fi to support the balls 5 of a croquet set.

The ends of the trough are preferably supported on transverse blocks 6and '7 secured to lthe bottom of the trough and having their under sidesnotched, as at 8, to provide spaced feet 9 and 1) for engaging thefloor.

Fixed between the side anges 3 and 4 at points spaced from the ends vofthe trough and extending upwardly from the bottom 2 are end members 11and 12 connected at their upper ends by a horizontal bar 13 havlngprojecting ends 14 and l5 cooperating with the ends of the base for apurpose later described.

Formed in the end members at spaced vertical points are pairs ofopenings or seats 16 and 1'7 for the member 1l and aligning openings 18and 19 for the member 12 to accommodate the handles 20 of the mallets21. The lower pairs of openings are spaced from the trough a sufficientdistance so that the handles of the lower pair of mallets closely engagethe balls to retain them in the trough as clearly shown in Fig. 4, andthe upper openings are spaced from the lower pair so that when the othermallets are supported therein, in superimposed relation, the hat endfaces 22 of the mallet heads 23 slightly clear each other to permittheir ready insertion and 5 54 removal in the rack.

(Cl. 21l-13) When the mallets are inserted in the rack, they arepreferably placed so that heads of the inallets supported in one side ofthe rack are engaging the end member l1, while the heads of the malletsat the opposite side engage the end member 12, as shown in Fig. 2, forthe sake of compactness and to provide a balanced structure when therack is being transported.

In order to lock the mallets in position and prevent their accidentaldisplacement, I mount the croquet stakes 24 and 25 at the ends of therack, so that they closely engage the periphery of the mallet heads.This is accomplished by providing the projecting ends 14 and 15 of thebar 13 with openingsY 26 for slidably receiving the upper knob ends 27of the stakes, and the bottom 3 with smaller openings 28 to receive andsupport the pointed ends 29 of the stakes, as shown in Fig. ,3, theopenings being formed in the longitudinal centerline of the rack. Themallets are, of course, prevented from movement in the oppositedirection from the stakes by engagement of the heads with the endmembers 11 and 12 of the rack.

In order to mount the wickets 30 in the rack, the bar 13 is alsoprovided in its longitudinal center with spaced openings 31 and 32 topass the legs 33 and 34 into the space between the handles 20 of themallets so that the handles prevent the wickets from swinging out of theboundaries of the rack, Fig. 2.

To make the rack portable, so that it may be readily carried from placeto place, the bar carries a handle 35 iixed thereto by screws 36, Fig.1.

In assembling the croquet set in the rack, the balls 5 are placed in thetrough between the end members 11 and 12. A pair of mallets 2l are theninserted from opposite ends of the rack in the rst pairs of openings 16,1'7 and 18, 19 to retain the balls therein.

In this position the handle 20 of one mallet lies adjacent the head 23of the other mallet, and the heads 23 engage the respective end inembers11 and 12 of the rack. The remaining inallets of the set are similarlyplaced in the upper pairs of openings, after which the stakes 24 and 25are inserted in their places at the ends of the rack to retain themallets.

'I'he assembly is iinally completed by inserting the wickets 30 throughthe openings 31 and 32 so that the ends thereof depend between thehandles of the mallets, as shown.

The rack thus described not only provides a better and more attractivedisplay of the set, but

also replaces the conventional box for storage purposes. In the latterrespect, it has a decided advantage, since the parts of the set arereadily placed in their proper positions and are removed in theirnatural order of use. For example, the wickets 30 are first removed andplaced in position on the playing eld, then the stakes 24 and 25, andfinally the mallets 21 and the balls 5 are removed.

For display purposes, the attractive stripings 0n the balls, mallets,and stakes are accentuated and enhance the appearance, making the setmore desirable to the purchaser.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rack for the component parts of a croquet set including a ballsupport, mallet supports carried at the ends of the ball support andhaving aligned seats for carrying the handles of the mallets inhorizontal position over the ball support to retain the balls in theball support, and means for supporting the stakes of the set to lock themallets in the mallet supports.

2. A rack for the component parts of a croquet set including a ballsupport, mallet supports carried by and spaced from the ends of the ballsupport, and a tie bar connecting the mallet supports and provided withWicket receiving openings and having projecting ends opposite to theends of the ball support, said ends of the ball support and the tie barbeing provided with means to carry the stakes of the set.

3. A rack for' the component parts of a croquet set including a ballsupport having openings in its opposite ends, mallet supports carried bythe ball support and having vertically spaced pairs of openings toreceive the handles of the mallets of the set, a tie bar connecting themallet supports and having openings opposite to the rst named openingsto support the stakes oi the set.

Ll. A rack for the component parts of a croquet set including a basehaving side ianges to form a trough shaped ball supportand havingopenings in its opposite ends, mallet supports/carried by the troughsupport between said anges and having vertically spaced pairs ofopenings to receive the handles of the mallets of the set, a tie barconnecting the mallet supports and having openings opposite to the firstnamed openings to support the stakes of the set.

5. A rack for the component parts of a croquet set including a ballsupport having openings in its opposite ends, mallet supports carriedvby the ball support and having vertically spaced pairs of openings toreceive the handles of the mallets of the set, a tie bar connecting theupper ends or" the mallet supports having openings therein to pass thelegs of the wickets of the set between the handles of the mallets andhaving openings aligning with the openings in the ball support to holdthe stakes in the set.

JOHN E. ZEBARTH.

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